There are a wide variety of programs to be watched by a user on a television receiver and the like, and the number of the programs is huge. Therefore, it is extremely difficult that the user finds, by his/her own, a program to his/her taste from among such a huge number of programs. Even if the user finds a program to his/her taste, the user misses the program in some cases due to, for example, watching another program at a start of the program.
In view of this, Patent Literature 1 discloses a technique of (i) obtaining program information on a recommended program by carrying out a keyword search through program information included in EPG data in accordance with information such as a keyword inputted by a user, and (ii) notifying the user of a start of the recommended program at a time earlier than a starting time of the recommended program. This technique allows the user to recognize program information on a program which the user is likely to watch or record, without missing the program information.
Further, Patent Literature 2 discloses a technique in which, in a case where a receiving device judges that there is a program which should be notified to a user as a result of comparing (i) keyword information inputted by the user and (ii) service information that makes up a program guide and the like, the receiving device displays a message, notifying that the program is to start, on a received image before a start of the program or at startup of a television set. According to this technique, it is only necessary to input keyword information into the receiving device so as to cause the receiving device to actively notify the user of a program which the user wishes to watch.